Stephen Hetherington,

Director of Birmingham’s Bid to become European capital of culture 2008.

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"When you start to speak of creative people, you mean people particularly talented in some aspect of creative work. You need them for your business and they are all around you.

Creative people will keep your business in front. These may well be the people who upset the status quo, who look at things from an unfathomable point of view, ask strange questions and then create work that seems odd or even pointless. 

Think back over developments in music, design, fashion, painting and the like. Chances are you would never have spotted the trends and chances are neither did the creators. They just did what seemed right to them-and the world caught on. The challenges artists make to our world often define the changes.

It [creativity] will fill your life and those of your employees with joy. Creative work provides the shortest route from here to fulfilment."